First phase of £700m Middlewood Locks approved

THE first phase of FairBriar International’s £700m Middlewood Locks development in Salford has been granted detailed planning consent by the City Council.

The 24-acre site is earmarked to become a new residential and commercial neighbourhood at the western gateway to Manchester’s central business district

FairBriar is a joint venture between Scarborough, owned by the McCabe family, Hualing Group, based in China and Metro Holdings, a Singapore-listed property development and investment group.

Construction of the first phase can now start early in the new year,
with residents expected to move in mid-2017.

The first phases will comprise the development of around 571 homes and associated commercial space, including convenience shops and restaurants, and extensive new
public realm in the form of canal side footpaths and cycle ways that will
connect into the city centre.

Middlewood Locks received outline planning consent in March 2015 from
Salford City Council to deliver a new mixed-use neighbourhood, which, in
total, will provide around 2,000 new homes and more than 750,000sq ft of
commercial development space, including offices, hotel, shops,
restaurants, a convenience store and gym.

The development, designed by architects, WCEC Group, is centred around three large basins of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal in Salford and is ideally located just a short walk from the central business district and retail amenities of
Manchester.

The site has a gross development value of more than £700m and is
expected to create more than 7,000 jobs.

Lee Savage, development director of Scarborough, said: “This is fantastic
news.

“Over the past year, we have worked closely with the members and
officers of Salford City Council and consulted with all the local
communities and interested groups to achieve this milestone for Middlewood
Locks. We can now concentrate on delivering a development of which Salford
and Greater Manchester can be truly proud.”